







In English we use the present simple tense to talk about facts or things that are always true, as well as things in general. Present simple is also used to talk about a repeated action such as a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens.
In English we use 'do' and 'does' as auxiliary verbs in negatives and questions and we often use the present simple with adverbs of frequency such as sometimes, always, often, never, usually, rarely, and hardly ever.
Notes for use of present simple :
In the third person, ‘s’ is added to the verb form. For example;
work --> works
run --> runs
live --> lives
For verbs that end in 'o', 'sh', 'ch', 's' and 'x', we add 'es' to the verb form. For example;
go --> goes
wish --> wishes
watch --> watches
kiss --> kisses
fax --> faxes
For verbs that end in a consonant + 'y', we change the 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'. For example;
try --> tries
study --> studies
The table below shows the different forms of present simple :
Example Verb : Work | I / You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | ... work. | ... works. |
| Negative | ... don't work. | ... doesn't work. |
Questions | Do ... work? | Does ... work? |
| Short answers | Yes, ... do. / No, ... don't. | Yes, ... does. / No, ... doesn't. |
For the verb 'to be' we use 'am', 'is', 'are' in the present simple. No auxiliary verbs are used in negative sentences and questions.
Verb: Be | I | You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | I'm ... | ... 're ... | ... 's ... |
| Negative | I'm not ... | ... aren't ... | ... isn't ... |
| Questions | Am I ... ? | Are ... ...? | Is ... ...? |
| Short answers | Yes, I am. / No, I'm not. | Yes, ... are. / No, ... aren't. | Yes, ... is. / No, ... isn't. |
Present Simple Example Sentences :
Positive Examples of Present Simple :
Negative Examples of Present Simple :
Question Examples of Present Simple :
| Present simple example sentences | |
|---|---|
| I mostly work till late at night, I never wake up at 7 in the morning. | |
| Hey Mike, you look so worried! | |
| I didn't say it's your fault, but it's your turn now... | |
| Yeah, it is very important for me, actually. | |
| Hope to see you later. | |
| And this is my girlfriend, Cate. | |
| I don't think it's a suitable movie for kids, dear. | |
| There are plenty more, but I think gumtree.com is the best. | |
| Are you serious? | |
| Why? What's wrong? | |
| Well, I don't think we need to cook too many things at once. | |
| I wake up and make my bed, then tidy my room. | |
| Bear is okay with cats, but definitely not with dogs. | |
| Here we go, I'm sure it means they pay much less. | |
| I think we should wait for a while till all that smoke disappears. | |
| Yes, it was quite easy, actually, I live very close by. | |
| I'm happy to hear we have similar music taste! | |
| You need to change planes at some point on the way. | |
| Good boy, Beary! See, he is just a little friend. | |
| Erm, we don't have any, but there is someone else's bread. | |